Catherine Zuckert
American political philosopher (born 1942)
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Catherine Herdis Heldt Zuckert[2] (born 1942) is an American political philosopher and Reeves Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.
University of Chicago (MA; PhD, 1970)
Catherine Zuckert | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 (age 83–84) Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Rachel Zuckert |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Cornell University (BA, 1964) University of Chicago (MA; PhD, 1970) |
| Thesis | The morality of history: a study of Friedrich Nietzsche's untimely meditations (1970) |
Academic advisor | Leo Strauss |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
School or tradition | Straussianism |
| Institutions | Carleton College Claremont McKenna College University of Notre Dame |
Doctoral students | Jeffrey Church (theorist)[1] |
Main interests | Political philosophy |
Early life and education
Zuckert was born in 1942[3] to parents Agneta Dahm Christensen and Henning Heldt.[4] Her father worked for the Miami Herald before he died in 1950, while her mother worked as a high school registrar.[5] While attending Miami Senior High School, Zuckert was named Florida's Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow after receiving the highest grade in a written examination on homemaking knowledge and attitudes in Florida.[6] As a result of the award, she received a $1,500 scholarship and met then-Vice President Richard Nixon at a reception held in her honor.[7] At her high school graduation, she was recognized as an "outstanding high school senior."[5]
Zuckert completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Cornell University, where her future husband Michael Zuckert also attended.[2] While enrolled at Cornell in 1964, Zuckert received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.[8][9] Upon graduating, Zuckert and her husband enrolled at the University of Chicago for their PhDs in political science.[2] They both studied under political philosopher Leo Strauss while at the University of Chicago.[10]
Career
In 1976, the Zuckerts joined the political science department at Claremont McKenna College as visiting associate professors.[11]
The Zuckerts chose to accept professor positions at the University of Notre Dame in 1998, as the school was one of the few interested in hiring senior women faculty.[12] After retiring from Notre Dame, they chose to became visiting scholars at Arizona State University's School for Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership.[4]
Personal life
Books
- Postmodern Platos (University of Chicago Press, 1996)
- Natural Right and the American Imagination: Political Philosophy in Novel Form
- Plato's Philosophers: The Coherence of the Dialogues (University of Chicago Press, 2009)
- Machiavelli's Politics (University of Chicago Press, 2017)
- The Truth about Leo Strauss (2006) with Michael P. Zuckert, University of Chicago Press
- Leo Strauss and the Problem of Political Philosophy (2014) with Michael P. Zuckert, University of Chicago Press
Edited
- Understanding the Political Spirit: From Socrates to Nietzsche
- Political Philosophy in the 20th Century: Authors and Arguments (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
- Leo Strauss on Political Philosophy (University of Chicago Press, 2018)
